Pixel Launcher search bringing back ability to quickly open apps

Google might restore a useful Pixel Launcher shortcut that lets you type the name of an app and quickly open it without leaving the keyboard.

At the moment, typing anything into the Pixel Launcher is a prelude to web search. The button in the bottom-right corner of your keyboard has a magnifying glass icon. As such, you have to raise your hand from the keyboard (or use another) and tap to launch apps. 

Some users are now seeing app results highlighted in the top row with “open” appearing in the text field. The corner button remains an arrow to launch the app.

Before Android 13 QPR1, open was the default behavior (like on iOS), but that December 2022 update introduced a combined web and on-device search. Google was spotted testing “quick launch” in 2023, but that never launched. Today’s UI has a slight visual tweak.

There are only a handful of reports today about the restored open behavior in what’s presumably a server-side update. We’re not seeing it on Android 16 QPR1 or QPR2. Hopefully, Google proceeds with this quality-of-life improvement. At the very least, it should be a Pixel Launcher settings option between open app and web search.